The actual odds of winning any game are between 51.2% to 50.8%, with casino games being almost exactly 50/50. If you play Poker perfectly, you can expect a near Even Money win rate while in most cases you will only slightly beat the edge. At the end of the day, if you want to be a winning player, some of the time you will need skill as well.
Some hands are obviously opposed to being luck’d, like AA or KK. Skill can neutralize those types of hands that are surefire to lose. But, you also need to know when to take risks if you want to be a winner. That part is not entirely skill (or luck) but also experience. Almost all players will lose more than they will win if they play without either a skill or luck bonus. If you are going to win, you need to be patient. If you are going to survive, you will need to take some risks.
To make money at poker, you don’t needExpert tournamentime or access to a Blackjack table. Most players make the mistake of falling in love with their starting hands. I remember as a very small kid, sitting my father on one side of the family, advising him of the proper play of his favorite hand, always eager to push his luck. Of course, my father was very proud that he could always call his wife to his room with the proper hand, and that would be the only hand that he would play. But, my father was known for his hospitality, and he hoped that someone would eventually amuse him with a nice hand. In fact, he died broke a number of years ago.
Start with Low Stakes and Get a Practice
If you are a beginner, or you are a seasoned veteran at the game, the exact same rules apply to cash games and tournaments alike. The only difference is that in cash games, you don’t have to beat all of the other players in order to win; in tournaments, you do. Make sure that you start at the lowest stakes you can afford. Start at a low level, and if you lose the first few hands, or the first few times you play, walk away. You can come back to play a easier game later on.
Play Tight/Aggressive
- Once you have mastered the game of poker, you want to take your game to the next level. Play tight/aggressive. This is the number one reason to play poker. You want to play against the other players at your table as much as possible. Do not play passive bystander poker.Tactics such as checking, folding, betting, and raising DO NOT WORK. You want to play hard against the other players at your table. Once you have done this, the game becomes a lot simpler.
- Once you have Simple Poker Rules mastered, you can work on more advanced strategies. Currently, there are many different strategies available. You can learn poker strategy charts that give you the best possible advice, or you can learn you own advanced poker strategies. You will have to commit to learning a strategy or change it several times depending on your skill and goals.
- In short, if you master the fundamentals, you can take your game to the next level. You should expect to make some big wins if you practice the strategies often enough. Eventually, you will be able to Randomize opponents when you have a big hand.
Starting Hands
In most instances, it is not wise to get an Ace or King when you are opening the betting. You should only be getting red mouthed at this stage. The reason for this is that you will still need a large amount of chips to be able to play and coast to victory. A lot of players make the mistake of going to the war without the ability to play; they open the betting and their hand fails. At the same time, if you are going the war in an army, you don’t send the troops into the battle until the enemy is closer to surrender. You must strike before they do.
Early Surrender
There are some instances that the early surrender should not be used. One of the examples is when you have an ace and your opponent has an ace as well. Normally, you should double your bet because an ace and a possible flush card beats the board.